Several newspapers said he was 'thrown from his horse', but I was watching on TV and the horse was perfectly well-behaved. The old gentleman slumped in the saddle, fell sideways and slipped to the ground, hitting his head on the road. I reckon he'd lost consciousness while on his horse.

It must be terribly hot and exhausting taking part in the Trooping of the Colour. One has very long waits, standing perfectly still (it takes its toll on the horses too) then the guardsmen have to march in slow-time, quick-time round and round in front of the queen. Their bearskins are fearfully heavy and often there is one poor chap flat out on the parade ground in a dead faint.

It's odd, I used to enjoy tremendously watching the whole thing, but now I can't seem to work up any enthusiasm. The marching music is lovely, but it all seems a bit ridiculous now. A complete anachronism.

No update on Lord Guthrie, Baron of Craigiebank. Just looked at his Wikipedia article. He is HUGELY decorated and honored. Scottish landholding stock. What it takes to be awarded that many honors, I shudder to think.

I see that at the Trooping of the Colour today, a very elderly Field Marshall, Charles Guthrie (he's 79!) fainted and fell off his horse during the procession back to barracks. He hit his head quite badly - hope he's alright!

There's an old folktale of a King and Queen making passionate love on their wedding night, After the third or fourth round, the Queen turns to her husband and gasps, "Do common people do this dear?" "I suppose they do my love". "Well", she replies, "it's too ******* good for them" Jim Carroll

"Hev yooo just faahted?" A rather drunk guest farted at a royal banquet, the man next to him whispered angrily, "How dare you break wind before Her Majesty" "Sorry", came the slurred reply, "I didn't realise it was her turn The old ones are the best Jim Carroll

In search of a poem/song-lyric by an Englishman named Salmon, my online Google searches took me to an issue of the Winnipeg Free Press, of all things, which had the poem inside. The date was late November, 1934. Elizabeth, the Princess, would have been all of eight years of age. She was amongst the bridesmaids for a wedding that had just taken place, that of George, Duke of Kent, to Princess Marina. The Duke would die in a plane crash in Scotland during the war. Anyway, a chatty description of the wedding includes mention of "the winsome Princess Elizabeth, the granddaughter of the king and queen."

Ah, so. "The County Set." Which clarifies the Michael Flanders stanza from his "A Guide to Britten."

The judges at each festival Admired his Sinfonietta; they lauded it the best of all They'd never heard a better. 'Twas applauded by the masses, The middle classes too - oo, And even by the Harewoods (?) and "the County set" -- yes, [shift into barbershop-quartet harmony) Even by the Doggy, Doggy Fewwwwwwwww!

Posh people have a very strange way of pronouncing English. They talk about ones 'hice and grinds' (house and grounds) and 'cheps and gels' (lads and lasses) One hears them at the Royal Norfolk Show, where there's a reserved enclosure for them. The ladies swan around carrying champagne glasses and wearing rather large, flamboyant hats. They call out 'Hellay' to eachother. (They're called the County set)

But they're just people after all, good and bad among them. I'm just curious about their accent and their ways!

The Wee Magic Stane Oh the Dean o' Westminster wis a powerful man, He held a' the strings o' the state in his hand. But with a' this great business it flustered him nane, Till some rogues ran away wi' his wee ma-gic stane."

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

Noo the stane had great pow'rs that could dae such a thing And withoot it, it seemed, we'd be wantin' a king, So he called in the polis and gave this decree; "Go an' hunt oot the Stane and return it tae me."

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

So the polis went beetlin' up tae the North They huntit the Clyde and they huntit' the Forth But the wild folk up yonder jist kiddit them a' Fur they didnae believe it wis magic at a'.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

Noo the Provost o' Glesga, Sir Victor by name, Was awfy pit oot when he heard o' the Stane So he offered the statues that staun in the Square That the high churches' masons might mak a few mair.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

When the Dean o' Westminster wi' this was acquaint, He sent for Sir Victor and made him a saint, "Now it's no use you sending your statues down heah" Said the Dean, "But you've given me a jolly good ideah."

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

So he quarried a stane o' the very same stuff An' he dressed it a' up till it looked like enough Then he sent for the Press and announced that the Stane Had been found and returned to Westminster again.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

When the reivers found oot what Westminster had done, They went aboot diggin' up stanes by the ton And fur each wan they feenished they entered the claim That this was the true and original stane.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

Noo the cream o' the joke still remains tae be tellt, Fur the bloke that was turnin' them aff on the belt At the peak o' production was so sorely pressed That the real yin got bunged in alang wi' the rest.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay.

So if ever ye come on a stane wi' a ring Jist sit yersel' doon and appoint yersel King Fur there's nane wud be able to challenge yir claim That ye'd croont yersel King on the Destiny Stane.

Wi' a too-ra-li-oor-a-li-oor-a-li-ay. The Stone of Scone, on which the Bruce was crowned, is a basic symbol of Scottish culture and nationalism. Therefore, it was 'removed' to Westminister Abbey by the English. It disappeared on Christmas Day 1951. There was considerable investigation and a similar rock was eventually recovered. Several forged copies were then displayed which were identical to the recovered' one. The Stone has since been returned to Scotland, it's rightful home.

Gallus, on Youtube, you can watch Billy Connelly being hilarious about the National Anthem "Rebellious Scots to crush... Oh ye bloody THINK so?" I think I heard the song in an Edinburgh pub on the Royal Mile, but it was so long ago I can't quite remember.

Hi Gutcher, ref. the letter box removals in Scotland (and the signage on PO vans!)I was sadly a little young to participate but my parents told me that the pillar boxes were being blown up, often by otherwise quite conformist people- there was outrage in Scotland at her titling herself EIIR!! Totally inappropriate, incorrect---so the powers that be HAD to change the signs else they would have had no post boxes left!!!

as an older Primary child I wrote to Buckingham Palace to query the situation and the reply was that she could call herself whatever she wanted - - well, that's when I stopped standing for the (alleged) national anthem -- you know the one that was originally a theatre entertainment song slagging off the Jacobites who were on the march south, and trying to rouse up the scaredy Londoners? - They conveniently dropped the verse about the nasty Scots and reused it as that anthem I won't sing/stand for.

As for 'loyal toasts ' - I ignore them too 'cept on occasions when I am at a top table and prefer not to be rude to the company- - however if you look closely my toast is circling my whisky glass over my water glass and muttering 'king over the water' under my breath!!!

Senofou, in the 60s and maybe 70s there was a Rebel Ceilidh Songbook around, had a fair few of these songs in, also anti nuclear ones -- and I am pretty sure some of Jim McLean's too?

Anyway, isn't it 66? I seem to remember the Queen's silver jubilee coming up in 1977 when I lived in Robin Hood Gardens, where they held a street party on the grassy mound between the two blocks. We lefties at the time were going ballistic at the very idea of a royal bollix just when education cuts were in full swing. I got married - in the Catholic Church, people - at the end of '76 and I remember going to see Father Burke for one of our pre-nuptial meetings wearing my "Stuff The Jubilee" badge. He was a good old boy, a down-to-earth east-ender, but he still managed to give me a funny look...

Gutcher, when I lived in Scotland (seventies), I seem to remember a song about Elizabeth the yin. The words were something like "How can there be a second yin when the first yin's never been?" Do you know it? I can't find it online at all.

Nice to see the O.P. giving her the correct designation as Queen of England. We here in Scotland have never had an Elizabeth prior to her coronation, so how can she claim to be Elizabeth 2nd in these parts.

They had to remove all the cast-iron letterboxes proclaiming her as ER11 when this was pointed out to them at the time.

The latest opinion poll, that asked the question here, was the first in my memory that showed a majority in favour of removing the monarch as head of state.

"See how easy it is to wind up you labour lackeys!!!" Do you really believe we don't know you are a wind-up merchant Thanks for the opportunity to discuss our dependents It's always struck me how much more democratic Ireland is as far as having contact with our betters In 1965 I nearly had my foot run over by DeValera's Limousine when coming out ofa Hurling Final at Croake ParkI was within reach of him and Grace Kelly as they drove past I was in the first row when our lovely 1st woman President, Mary Robinson when she opened the Irish Traditional Music Archive Pat and I nearly bumped into our second Lady President in Dublin - she and her husband were going into Marks and Sparks as we were coming out The late Paddy Hillery's house is about a mile from here - we could have gone boozing with him if we'd drunk in his brother's pub Pat showed our present President to his (very uncomfortable) chair when he opened the Willie Clancy Summer School "Did I know 'Pedro the Bandit - haven't I just had lunch with him?", as the joke goes A BBC reporter told the story of how he was sent to interview President Garret Fitzgerald in the middle of The Troubles in the 70s They were sitting at his kitchen table (G F was still in his dressing gown) The reporter saw a man climb over the back fence carrying something and panicked, thinking it might be an attack Fitzgerald excused himself, walked into the garden and came back carrying two bottles of milk Life's a bit different here - you wouldn't get Liz or Phil doing that Jim Carroll

It's not for discussion, simply congratulations for 65 years of exemplary service to England and the Commonwealth." that is your opinion, I would not dispute 65 years service, but the adjective exemplary is your opinion,factually it is open to discussion. if you give an opinion about anyone, it is reasonable to expect discussion Sorry, the use of the word exemplary makes it open for discussion

She has indeed done a good job as our PR Front-Woman. Seldom put a foot wrong in that respect. Very well-paid for doing the job too.

As for discussion, threads go where they will go. Only the mods have any kind of power over that, and even then their powers are of a summary nature - they either let it run, or they close it. Nobody has any power other than that, certainly no member has any power to dictate to other members about what they may, or may not, say.

"It's not for discussion" Sorry - too late for that You put it up, it gets discussed Rules of the game I'm afraid Tou want it otherwise - go salute the picture on your wall

"But I still prefer a benign, effectively powerless, monarch to an elected president" Me too; we have a lovely man as a President (met him once when he opened a music event here) - he can put his feet under our table anytime Our English lot seem benign enough - it's how they get used is the problem - an economic crisis looms and a royal couple get married or our pops a sprog They's as entitled as the rest of us to couple or breed - but why do they have to do in in public? And those weird costumes and hats - puts 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' to shame. They're ok as a bunch, just a bit of an anachronism Jim